


Tea and Company

by thisisthemorning



Category: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Extra Treat, F/F, references to past Daja/Rizu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 01:29:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8425453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisthemorning/pseuds/thisisthemorning
Summary: Daja couldn't stay away from Discipline Cottage, even if she didn't live there anymore.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Seika](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seika/gifts).



> An extra treat for you! I loved the idea of Lark giving Daja advice, so I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Daja couldn’t seem to stay away from Discipline, for all she owned a house and had her own grown-up life now. She was there more than Sandry, who since Namorn had settled back into helping the Duke rule with more energy than ever. She was there more than Tris - although that wasn’t so hard, since Tris had been at Lightsbridge since Barley Moon. She was even there more than Briar, at least recently, because he and Rosethorn had been back in northern Emelan, helping to coax the Golden Valley saffron plants back to full strength after the devastating fires and droughts of a few years previously. 

She was at Discipline so often, in fact, that Lark’s painfully shy student, Comas, had even said ‘hello’ to her occasionally. Before turning red and fleeing upstairs, but still. On this particular evening, as his footsteps disappeared from hearing, she turned to Lark. ‘Am I here too much?’ she said. ‘You can tell me to go home… I won’t mind.’

Lark smiled at her. ‘You know you’re always welcome here,’ she said. ‘And you’re always welcome to talk to me, too, about anything you’d like.’

For all her time spent at Discipline lately, Daja hadn’t been talking much - it was true. She had mostly been working in her forge, visiting Frostpine, and ending up at Discipline in the evenings once she was too tired to think about _anything at all_ , and certainly not about… Namorn. ‘I guess I haven’t been feeling very talkative lately,’ she admitted. Embarrassingly, she felt the warmth of tears swelling in her eyes. She looked away quickly.

Lark set down her spindle and crossed the room to Daja. ‘You don’t have to tell me anything,’ she said, laying a gentle hand on Daja’s shoulder. ‘But sometimes it can help?’

Daja gave her a half smile. ‘I’m being silly,’ she said, swallowing away the irritating lump in her throat. She looked at Lark for a long moment, then gave in. ‘It’s just… I met someone. In Namorn.’

Lark sat down next to her. ‘What happened?’ she asked gently.

Daja swallowed again, and quickly brushed away the tear that was threatening to trickle down her cheek. ‘She was… Oh, Lark, she was _everything_. Beautiful and funny and smart. But…’ Daja had been avoiding thinking about that day, about the attack on Sandry and the Empress’s schemes and Rizu’s refusal for weeks now, and the lump in her throat turned to iron and melted into the flaming forge of her anger. ‘She wouldn’t come with me!’

‘Oh, Daja.’ Lark put a comforting arm around her. ‘Did you think of staying there?’

Daja turned to her, hotly. ‘Of course I couldn’t stay there! The Empress let Sandry be attacked and then had her mage hurt Tris!’ She shook her head. ‘I just don’t understand how _she_ could stay, after all of that.’

‘What was her name?’ Lark asked.

‘Rizu,’ Daja whispered. She looked down at her lap. ‘I just don’t understand how she could stay with the Empress. I thought…’ she looked at Lark, embarrassment warming the tips of her ears. ‘I thought we could be like you and Rosethorn. I thought she loved me.’

Lark pulled her into a hug. ‘Oh, Daja,’ she said, sympathetically. ‘I won’t tell you it shouldn’t hurt, because of course it does, and of course it will. It’s horrible to be let down by someone you love, isn’t it?’

Daja wiped her eyes. ‘I just wish I could be just sad about it, or just angry about it,’ she admitted. ‘Why do I have to be both?’

Lark handed her a handkerchief. ‘Because people are complicated,’ she said. ‘And sometimes that’s why, even if you love someone, you can’t want what they want.’

Daja sighed, and blew her nose. ‘I think she did really love me,’ she said, finally. ‘She looked… I think she was as upset as I was when she said she had to stay.’

Lark gave her another squeeze. ‘I know it sounds like terrible old-person advice, but one day you’ll look back on this and be glad it happened, even if it was no fun,’ she said, giving Daja a comforting smile.

Daja couldn’t help it - she laughed. ‘That _is_ terrible old person advice,’ she agreed. Still, the laughter made her feel a little better. ‘But… thanks, Lark.’

Lark stood up. ‘Tea?’ she offered.

Daja took a deep breath, and smiled. ‘I can make it. I have a little of my Trader tea still.’ She knew Lark had travelled with Traders for a while, and felt rewarded when she saw her face light up.

‘Trader tea?’ Lark said, grinning. ‘I should give you terrible old-person advice more often!’ She winked at Daja and followed her into the kitchen.

Tea might not solve anything, but it certainly made things better, Daja thought, as they sat at the kitchen table, mugs in hand. Drinking the tea of her childhood with Lark in the kitchen at Discipline might not heal the wounds Namorn had left, but it was a good start.


End file.
